Vipper II

This is just a spur of the moment thing, but the circumstances surrounding it are pretty favorable. Anyway, right now I have a 30-inch Sony HDTV (KV-30HS420). I've had it for 2 years and it's been one of the best purchases I've ever made. Unfortunately, I'm also someone who likes to be on top, or very close to the top, when it comes to technology. Sadly, this great purchase of mine is now rather outdated. Even though it has HDMI, it's a CRT HDTV, and it doesn't have the HD tuner built in - my Comcast cable box takes care of that. In the future, when I look to upgrade to HD-DVD or Blu-Ray, I'll want to have 1080p ability, most likely, which this model doesn't support. While I can't really afford anything right now, I have come across a pretty good deal on Crutchfield:

Crutchfield Deal

As you can see, assuming you clicked on the link, the product comes with free delivery and 18 months with no payments and no interest. Also, the Westinghouse has gotten some pretty good reviews. Although I hate to use the phrase "future proof", this product does seem to set me up pretty well for the future.

My proposal is as follows:

Get the Westinghouse for the 18-month "grace period"
Save up the money during that time and manage to pay it off without facing the "penalties" (tax refund will help, easily)
Sell the 30" Sony and use the money to help pay for the Westinghouse.
Somewhere down the line, upgrade to HD-DVD/Blu-Ray and get the full advantage of 1080p.

So, does this sound like a no-brainer, or should I wait a little longer? I just live in a town house, so I don't really have too much room for the 50+-inch ones, and such. Since 30" have been quite good, I figure 42 should "cut it" exceptionally well, while still yielding the benefits of higher resolution DVDs.

I welcome any feedback/recommendations. Thanks!

BobDole42

The TV has some good specs. I would make 100% sure that it accepts 1080p signals (it says it does, but just verify to be safe) since future-proofing is a big concern of yours. Before dropping this much money on a TV, you really need to see it in person. Although I haven't seen this particular set, I have found the Westinghouse sets to be inferior to better brands like Samsung in terms of picture quality. Of course, that is only my opinion and may not apply to this set at all. But since this is a big purchase for you, make sure it is what you want. Another thing to keep in mind is the resale value of your Sony CRT - it's going to be very little. I bought a DLP a few months ago thinking I could get $1200 for my 55 inch CRT which was still under warranty. Boy was I wrong! I finally found a buyer who is coming to pick it up tomorrow for $750 (less than a third of what I paid less than two years ago).

edited to add: Since you are buying this on credit, please make sure you will be able to pay this off within the grace period. 18 months of accured interest on this set is going to be very expensive if you can't pay it off.

Vipper II

This review of the product really turned me on to it:

Review

I've seen the product on display at Best Buy, and I love the design; the review gets more into that.

I figured resale of the CRT would be low, but anything I get means that much less I have to pay for the Westinghouse. Besides, there are a lot of suckers at my place of business, so I'm sure I can unload it there and get a decent amount for it. If I get $450-500 I'll be satisfied. Even still, that 18-month period is a pretty good grace period. Like I said, I'll have my tax refund next year, which will easily cover the price of the TV, and then some. On top of that, I'll still have about 10 months left. Sure, this is a pretty big decision, and I'm always one to do my homework when it comes to big things like this. Heck, I researched my car for 2 years before buying it, so that should say something . Thanks for the input!

BobDole42

If you've seen the TV and like it, go for it! 42 inches is a huge step-up from 30 inches. Enjoy!

X

I'd wait until you really need its features, such as when you actually have Blu-ray or HD-DVD. It's only going to go down in price.

Vipper II

Good point. I'm sure they'll come up with that 18-month finance and payment free plan again at some point. Although, the main reason I've been holding off on HD-DVD is because I haven't felt that a 30" would yield much of a benefit. Based on what I've seen, that $2500 price tag is pretty darn aggressive, so I wonder just how much it will come down in price, and how long it will take. Best Buy does have it on sale this week, though.

By the way, with a very, very brief look at your avatar, it almost looks like Bob Sagat .

X

A simple search came up with several places that had it for $2200. I don't know about their financing options.

Vipper II

I found that, too, but Best Buy is right down the street from me. I figured that if, God forbid, something were to go wrong, "help" would be just a few miles away.